I bet you are all thinking there is something wrong because I am posting. Yes, I again took a bit of a break. With the theater opening right around the corner (20 days!), my time has been invested in helping out when I can there. That is in-between my full time job and actually trying to stay on track with Insanity/working out. I hate to admit it, but when my head hits the pillow, I am a goner. The days seem short and the to-do list seems to lengthen. Not a good combination when your only goal is to get things done.

Don’t worry, my optimisim is still there, I just find the motivation to be lacking when it comes to posting lately. We even have internet at our house (Finally), so I really have no excuse, but when I sit my butt down on the couch, I have a tendency to curl up and close my eyes. It’s quite fulfilling actually to sit down and know that you did the most you can with today and that tomorrow will be the same. Life sure is exciting lately.

Sometimes, when life gets that busy, you have to remind yourself to take a break, sit back, and look at things in a whole new light. I think Cory needs to remember this more than I do because it seems he is living, eating, and breathing that theater. (no really, he sometimes stays over so he can get up early and work. As if the mile drive to the theater is such an inconvenience.) All sarcasm aside, he has been putting every ounce of himself into the theater and his hard work sure shows. Every time I enter, it looks more and more like a stellar theater and less like a scary place to store furniture.

So, I did make the choice to be selfish this past weekend and I snuck away for some me time. Well, more like me and my family time. My mom has recently discovered Pintrest. That being said, my mom has a new addiction, but a great one at that. I believe I am the only other one out of our family who hasPintrest account, so our free time consists of searching, e-mailing, and planning a Pintrest weekend to get the best projects created. This past weekend was one of those weekends. It was our first Pintrest weekend and it was a success. After spending the night on Friday with my sister (and we did a bit of shopping. So far, I have only admitted to Cory one thing I bought. I am working myself up to the others), we headed out early to make it back home before noon.

As we pulled in, we saw stations put up and a different Pintrest project on each station with my mom and dad already working. We pulled up our sleeves and dug in.

Project 1: Book Pavers.

Pintrest picture

Our picture

﻿﻿

Sans Writing
﻿ ﻿Project 2: Stacked Planter

Pintrest picture

Our picture

Project 3: Life-size Jenga

Pintrest Picture

Our Picture

﻿

So, it was too cold to set it up, so this is still in the process of making it. I will post a picture the first time we play it...if the sun ever shines. :)

﻿Let’s just say that my mom is awesome because she is so creative and fun. That, along with my Pa’s carpenteyr skills, it was a pretty stellar weekend. It was cold and rainy all day, but it was such a great time working together, coming up with ideas, planning the next Pintrest Weekend, and just having a great time together. That evening, my niece came over and we all had a slumber party. We watched movies, ate popcorn, and we stayed up until 12:30 am talking. Some topics a 3 year old likes to cover at a slumber party: How to catch fairies. How to get Grandma and Grandpa to get her another kitty. How to find fairy dust so the fairies can come out and play (recently, my parents made her a fairy garden, complete with a pathway and a door into a tree), how she is going to marry Batman. Okay, so this wasn't a question of how. She said that she is going to marry Batman. She also asked me if she could kiss Batman. She also mentioned how I could kiss Robin so he doesn’t feel left out. And, of course, she wondered what her stuffed animals were doing at home without her. Yes, it was a great day for all and I am so lucky that I can share these experiences with my family.

The next morning, my Pa and I went on a canoe ride which turned out to be quite a workout on the way to our destination but it made the way back pretty easy and the sun came out. Sun! I haven’t seen that in a while. I also took one of the best pictures I have in a long time!

What a weekend! I can’t wait to find more projects and have another weekend like this (get Pintresting Mom!) Also, my front porch could be in a Home and Garden magazine. It’s not the enchanted forest like my mom has on her deck, but she helped me in getting it halfway there (Thanks mom!) I am hoping next time we can make some recipes as well. There is something to be said about spending time with your mom. Nothing quite like it and I love every moment I spend with mine!

Until next time, be selfish and take a time out for yourself. It will be worth it.

We once again have arrived to yet another drizzly Wednesday morning. Grab your coffee and settle in for what shaping up to be a long day. Nothing beats a cozy rainy day at home, but when you have to dash from your car to buildings and people are coming in wet, sometimes sun seems like the better option. It is a day like today that I think we all need a pick me up. The best option I have to give you is a re-cap of my weekend. How will this cheer you up? I am not sure. It will bring some sun into my day though and it is my blog after all. So without further ado, I bring to you my adventures from this past weekend.

I mentioned to all of you that this weekend was going to be filled with a weekend celebrating our friend’s marriage. Now, Cor and I were both very excited to take the weekend off and see friends and just enjoy ourselves as we revel in the bliss of two lives becoming one. Well, this weekend was just that and then some. First of all, I must say that the bride to be has to be one of the greatest people I know. Even in the midst of her wedding, she still asked if I needed anything and had a part to thank everyone involved. I mean, she is just such a great person. This weekend seemed to be more about the guests than the lovely couple. We arrived to an island via ferry to hugs and a gift bag filled with what I would consider a full course meal (okay, so maybe it was just chips, jerky, cookies, and so on, but that is more than what I eat for breakfast and lunch most days). After settling in, Cor and I went exploring on the island. I don’t think my pictures do it justice, but this place was amazing. I felt like I was Baby in dirty dancing at the resort they went to. We felt like we should have brought Polo shirts and loafers while drinking brandy. It was rustic and amazing! Again, the pictures don’t do it justice. It was hands down one of the neatest places I have been. After some good eats, we went and sat around a bonfire the size of a small swimming pool and just got to catch up with old friends and make some new ones.

Saturday was equally as grand. After breakfast and coffee, Cory and I headed back to our room overlooking the lake, lit a fire, and took a nap. Yes friends, this was how relaxing the weekend was. After the nap, we headed to a fish fry (awesome!!) and ended the night with dancing and drinks. I can’t stress enough just how splendid it was. It has been awhile since Cor and I could just enjoy each other’s company and talk and then have close friends around as well. It makes me realize just how lucky I am. I know everyone thinks this, but I think my close group of friends has to be one of the best.

Sunday was the wedding ceremony. We all sat on blankets, drank coffee, and watched two great people join hands in marriage. It was such a neat experience to sit on the grass in the outdoors as the sun was peeking through the trees. Truly an unforgettable moment for all of us!

Well friends, I hope you enjoy the pictures as much as I enjoyed the weekend. I have another three day weekend ahead of me as we celebrate Memorial Day this coming weekend. Spring clean up, here we come!

And indeed it is, my friends. The sun has been out, the semester is winding down, and just all around joy and excitement is in the air. I am loving every moment.

I bet a couple of you have been wondering where I have been (or not). Well, my lack of posts is a good indication that I have been busy. My days are filled with getting ready for the summer semester and my weekends are filled with adventures. It has been since the end of March that I have actually been able to spend some time at home and this weekend is no different. Before I jump the gun here, I will just give you a quick recap. A couple weekends ago, I made the drive home to celebrate Mother’s Day. Unfortunately, my mom had to work on the actual holiday, so we moved it up a weekend. I know the day is past, but I just want to give a shout out to my mom. I wouldn’t be where I am today without her. My mother is the most beautiful woman I ever saw and know. I truly strive to be like her because I don’t know a person who is so caring, giving, so beautiful and much more. I once read that a mother is a person who, seeing there are only four pieces of pie for five people, promptly announces she never did care for pie. This is my mom in a nutshell. She brings so much joy and laughter to my life each day and I am so proud to call her Mom. We celebrated by drinking coffee, catching up, having margaritas and fried pickles (mmmm!), shopping, and scanning Pintrest. There may be some Pintrest weekends coming up here soon! It was a delightful weekend.

After a short week at work, I again packed up for a weekend trip to Fargo, NDto see Cory’s sister graduate. One graduation party, three bottles of homemade mead (aka diesel oil), some bad karaoke, 6 beers, and some late night/early morning Catan and 35 Taquitos later, we were back in the car making the six hour drive home. It was a very successful weekend if I don’t say so myself. J (Congrats on your Fashion Apparel Buying Sewing Branding Selling with an emphasis in Design Drawing and Retail degree Paula! (Did I get that degree right? I feel I missed something)

We got back and settled down for another short work week. This weekend we are off to see two lovely friends get married on an island. Let’s just say that my excitement is hard to contain. Weddings, first of all are awesome. Everyone is so happy and are there to celebrate. It is just a great time all around. Secondly, we are so happy for this couple and are so glad to be able to witness them getting married. Third, have a mentioned it’s on a flipping island? I mean, it just doesn’t get better than friends around all there to celebrate this jubilant occasion. I will definitely have pictures!

After this is done comes Memorial Day. It means yet another long weekend for me and I plan on taking full advantage of my first weekend at home in two months by opening the windows, turning on some music, and spring cleaning. This may not be exciting for some of you, but I am pumped. I get three whole days to do whatever I want! This also involves getting outside and cleaning up the yard from Old Man Winter still, some grilling and brews may also be in the itinerary. Yes, friends. Life is good.

If you need a good pick me up, here is another cat video! Yes, I know you are excited.

Yes, this winter weather seems to be hanging on and mother nature’s throwing all of us a curve ball. The robins seem to be balls of puff as they hunker down to weather the rain and you can actually hear a tree fall down in the forest. It is days like this that a good read is most welcome. Well, friends, it’s your lucky day. Prepared to be warped into a world of Pharaoh’s and sun-dwellers in Michael Stewart’s book 24 Bones.

Summary

Every five hundred years the phoenix dies.

Samiya, born-into-shadow, is soon to battle her born-into-light brother. Abandoned by their parents, neither wishes to play the preordained role of beast and hero. When their loved ones are taken hostage, they are forced to follow the path laid out in myth, culminating in a battle first fought six thousand years ago in ancient Cairo. A mythic clash where one defeats the other and both become gods.

To break free from their fates, Samiya and her brother must unravel a mystery twisted by cults, greed, and magic. But myth is a powerful force and failure to live up to it may not only destroy their lives but the lives of the ones they love most.

When the phoenix dies, the only certainty is flames.

Review

Every once in a while, I find myself reading a book without really understanding the big picture at first. This is one of those books. I had the privilege to review one other book my Michael Stewart before reading 24 Bones., so I thought I knew what I was in for. His book 24 Bones was not what I was expecting at all. Don’t get me wrong, I thought this was a very powerful read that touched on subjects that were unexpected as the book itself. War, family ties, mythology, balance just to name a few. Prepares yourselves for another epic ride as we tumble into the world of Pharaoh’s, the Void, and a battle for the record books.

The first thing that surprised me about 24 Bones was the pure knowledge that the author knew about Ancient Egypt and some of the mythology and facts along with that. With this, he took us into the present (and possibly the future) but never once deterred from the ancient stories as the character carried the stories of the past with her. It was quite admirable how some of the paragraphs read more like a history lesson that was intertwined with the main characters. What started to really draw me in was the concept behind the words that can be broken down to good versus evil. This is where the knowledge of Ancient Egypt came into play. The story goes that when Osiris died, his spine was broken into individual bones and separated up within separate groups. Now the battle between good and evil is brewing and Osiris spine needs to be, for lack of a better word, reassembled.

When one of the main characters, Samiya, takes her own mother in custody because she knew what a piece of the spine was, she was on the evil side, but then I started to question her motives, and if she was just acting evil for the sake of the good. But again, it was her mother who dedicated her to this side for the sake of ‘balance’. This book distorted the lines of this so called good and evil. I found myself not knowing which side to root for, who were the good guys, and I had no idea how it was going to end. I have to applause Michael Stewart once again for a suspenseful book and once again, a very gripping conclusion.

Yes, friends, this is the perfect book to make your rainy day more electrifying. Step in from out of the rain and discover a world unlike any other.

About the Author

After crewing ships in the Antarctic and the Baltic Sea and some fun in venture capital, Michael anchored himself (happily) to a marriage and a boatload of kids. Now he injects his adventurous spirit into his writing with brief respites for research into the jungles of Sumatra and Guatemala, the ruins of Egypt and Tik’al, paddling the Zambezi and diving whatever cave or ocean reef will have him. He is a member of the International Thriller Writers and SF Canada, and the author of the Assured Destruction series, 24 Bones, The Sand Dragon, Hurakan, Ruination and several award winning graphic novels for young adults.

I know I have been absent on here lately, and I apologize. Some great things have been happening on my side of the line though. Flashback: remember those posts about me somewhat complaining about being bored all the time and I just want to do stuff? Well I take that back. It seems that free time is non-existent lately and I find myself looking forward to the first day I have no plans. I have no idea when that will be, but it is going to be glorious. Usually my weeks are filled with work, helping at the theater, or trying to get a start on spring cleaning while my weekends were free to do as I pleased. Well, that is no more. I don’t remember the last day that I slept in past 8:00 or sat down and just read for a couple hours and wasted time. Even my weekends seem to be taking a turn and are getting even busier than the work week. I haven’t been home for a weekend since my work conference at the beginning of April and it looks like it will stay that way through May. Don’t get me wrong friends. I am not going on a tangent of complaints right now because these past couple of months has been great. They have been filled with fun, laughter, a lot of firsts, good food, and just great memories. I have hopes that the upcoming future may prove to be the same. Yes friends, great things are happening and I can’t wait! The upcoming events includes, but is not limited to: graduation parties, Mother’s Day, one epic Wedding Weekend of a great friend (yay!), theater opening, family time, barbeques, bike rides, and the theater opening!! (I know I already mentioned this, but felt it should be added again for emphasis) Yes, spring/summer is around the corner (despite the fact that we are indeed in a winter storm warning for tonight).

I will give you a little bit of update as to what I have been up to. *Disclaimer* It’s not much.

·I went home this past weekend to celebrate my Pa’s birthday and to help with some clean up. They were in an area that was hit hard with ice leaving pretty much the whole county without power for multiple days and it took down many trees and branches. Let’s just say by the end of the weekend, I didn’t want to see one or pick up another stick.

·I started this little thing called Insanity. Let’s just say it lives up to its name. I am only a week in and can feel it. Never before have I wanted to hit the television screen one moment and hug it the next. I think my stubborn side reared its head because I didn’t believe a DVD workout routine that calls for no weights or equipment but guarantees to get you in shape could actually work. It’s pretty much like a bad relationship that I have started. It is the most intense workout I have ever done but feel fantastic after. It’s also somewhat addicting and I feel like a fool doing it, but I am hoping it will be worth it, and at this rate, I think it will be. It also helps me feel a bit less guilty of drinking that extra beer or eating greasy potato chips so I call it a win! My legs are sore and I am having trouble walking but that means it’s working or I am doing all the workouts incredibly wrong. (I will leave out the fact that I went on a 4 mile bike ride after my first session…Thanks Cory, for convincing me to go on that bike ride and telling me I would be alright to walk after.) This, along with me drinking between 64 and 96 ounces of water a day, has left me feeling pretty good lately.

·We are starting to talk about what we should do for promotions for the theater’s opening day. This, my friends, is exciting.

Well friends, that’s about it. I hope you receive many May Day Baskets (do people still do that?) and I will talk to you again soon. In the meantime, here is a cat video.Enjoy!

Today is going to be a great day! Yes. Yes it is. Even though I am sleep deprived and my coffee is already half way gone (or is it half full?), it still is going to be swell. Why the sunshine (well, besides the fact that the actual sun is indeed shining)? Because last night I crossed one more thing off my 30/30 list. To you, this may seem small. To me it’s AWESOME! So, maybe my sleep deprivation is getting to me. I have put in one too many exclamation points in this first paragraph, but I am still coming down off my happy cloud that was yesterday.

What did I cross off you may ask? I put a big line through: Go to a concert. I know to a lot of you out there that this isn’t a big deal because you have gone to many concerts, but I have not. Yes, this is a fact. I am 26 and have never been to an actual concert where you go to see one band and go exclusively for them. So, take that 30/30 list. J

What band did I go and see you may ask? Well, my good friend who is somewhat of a concert whore (can I say that on here?) forced recommended that I see the Airborne Toxic Event with her. Now, I have never heard of this band prior to her asking me, so I was hesitant to agree, but because I miss her face, I agreed. If I hated the band at least I could hang out with her, right? Well, it turns out that she was right and it was just a fantastic night. I loved the opening act (mainly because they were from Ireland and had awesome accents and were cute), and I absolutely loved The Airborne Toxic Event! Little did I know that I even knew some of the songs. The crowd was awesome, the show was very high energy, and we had arguably the best seats standing room in the house. There even came a point where we got to touch the lead singer of the band (in not a groupie stalker way either). He came through the crowd and even though I didn’t get to hold his hand like Sara, I did manage to find his sweaty armpit (hey, I took what I could get). There was a violin, a cello, so many guitars that I didn’t even know what each one did and just a great concert. Now, I have nothing to compare this to, but I feel safe to say it was a great concert and I had a blast! Now I know that I have truly been missing out and can’t wait to see what other music I can be introduced to. The lack of sleep and ringing in the ears is so worth it.

Let’s hope I can ration out these two things so I can make it through the day in a somewhat functional form:

Also, my day (well, morning by this point) was made even better when I came home to this:

Yes, my life is truly blessed and my friends are amazing! Seriously. I am just so thankful for the things I get to do and the people in my life that make it so much better.

Happy Saturday friends! The sun is shining, the birds are
cold and for the first time in a long time, the heat has no need to be on in
the car (and yes, I am typing this as we make our way to Mankato).Some mornings, I wake up and breathe in the
feelings of happiness and today is no different. With this being said, I am
thrilled to be able to review for you today Assured Destruction by Michael F.Stewart.

Summary:

Sixteen-year-old Jan Rose knows that nothing is ever truly
deleted. At least, not from the hard drives she scours to create the online
identities she calls the Shadownet.

Hobby? Art form? Sad,
pathetic plea to garner friendship, even virtually? Sure, Jan is guilty on all
counts. Maybe she’s even addicted to it. It’s an exploration. Everyone has
something to hide. The Shadownet’s hard drives are Jan’s secrets. They're stolen
from her family’s computer recycling business Assured Destruction. If the
police found out, Jan’s family would lose their livelihood.

When the real people behind Shadownet’s hard drives endure
vicious cyber attacks, Jan realizes she is responsible. She doesn’t know who is
targeting these people or why but as her life collapses Jan must use all her
tech savvy to bring the perpetrators to justice before she becomes the next
victim.

Review:

First of all, I must start with how cleverly titled this
book was. Assured Destruction could be the main theme of the book and it held
steady throughout. Not only was it the name of the business where most of the
plot took place, it could also be the theme of Jans’s life. Before I get too
deep into the review, let me introduce you to Jan: She is a teenager struggling
to make friends and make it through high school days while jugglinga job, boys, a sick mother, and social media.
In short, a lot of people can relate to Jan. I think this will hit home with
the YA group that the book is aimed towards and this makes the book an instant
hit. While most teens don’t create alias’ from their friends hard drives and
create a network in their basement (aka the ShadowNet), a lot of teens can
relate to staying connected by social media.

When Jan is hacked and her life takes a turn for the worst,
it is up to her and only her to get her life on the right track as friends now
look at her as the enemy, her mom (and her new boyfriend) starts to distrust
her and the police are on her tale for crimes that she didn’t commit. This is
where Jan relies solely on herself taught ways as she tracks down the person
who hacked her. Little did she know that she would uncover her own ‘assured destruction’ and stop the demolition that was sure to happen.

In all, this was a clever book and a fast read. I think it
is a perfect read for today’s YA group and shows them that there can be
downfalls to this thing that we call social media. This is a techy read with a
cliffhanger ending.

After crewing ships in the Antarctic and the Baltic Sea and
some fun in venture capital, Michael anchored himself (happily) to a marriage
and a boatload of kids. Now he injects his adventurous spirit into his writing
with brief respites for research into the jungles of Sumatra and Guatemala, the
ruins of Egypt and Tik’al, paddling the Zambezi and diving whatever cave or
ocean reef will have him. He is a member of the International Thriller Writers
and SF Canada, and the author of the Assured Destruction series, 24 Bones, The
Sand Dragon, Hurakan, Ruination and several award winning graphic novels for
young adults.

With the snow that fell yesterday along with the closings and deathly drive into work, a lot of people are sinking even further into the gloom that this season deemed ‘Sprinter’. Spring has yet to be sprung as the shovels are brought back out and I sit excitedly in front of the television as I wait for my place of employment to scroll across the screen. Well, for once it didn’t happen and I put on my big girl pants and made the drive in to work. I must send a shout out to my Pa who taught me to drive in weather such as this. I may be one of the few people at work, but here I sit. The thing is, I am not too disappointed. It’s Friday. Spring has to come eventually, I am done at noon and there are adventures on the horizon. Yes, it could be worse my friends. Hang in there. Sun will be on it way soon (hopefully).

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My walk into work this morning!

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What adventures are planned this weekend? Exciting ones, that’s for sure. After work, I am headed to the great Amery Theater to get my paint on and jam to the great hits of the 90’s with Cor as we try to get the theater ready for a Spring/Summer opening. After that, we are going to finish a DIY project that we have been working on (there will be pictures to follow, but it is also a birthday present and I don’t want to ruin any surprises), and tonight I may drink some beer while making these:

﻿

Yes. These are in fact mini hamburger cookies!

﻿Yes, that is what I consider a wild and crazy Friday night and I can’t wait. Saturday morning I am again packing up my bags as Cor and I head down to Mankato to help my sister move, hang out with the parentals and relax our evening away in the hotel room. Even though the weather may not cooperate, I am still excited to help her move and see her new house! Before we make the drive though, be sure to check out my blog Saturday morning for my next book review with Tribute books: Assured Destruction by Micheal F. Stewart.

Sunday involves a drive back home, some laundry, and we might even have time to get some gaming in! A pretty successful weekend if I may say so.

And, just because I feel the post is a bit lackluster, here is a pick me up that makes reading my post today all the more worthwhile. Enjoy friends!

Well hello there! It has been a long time, my friends. Besides my book review, it feels like it’s been ages since I last was on here. Okay, so two weeks is a long time and I apologize. Since I last posted, as mentioned, things have been quite busy. That along with a weeklong business trip to Lincoln, NE, I found my blogging time nonexistent. So, let’s play a quick game of catch up!

I am going to start with the weekend prior to last weekend (make sense?). April 6th just to clear up any confusion. J Anyways, April 6th marked my first race of spring. As you all know, spring seems to be hiding its pretty little head behind snowstorms and ice sheets. That aside, my friend and I bundled up and put on bright colors (her more so than I) and took a 3.1 mile trek around a lake in Minneapolis for the Chocoholic Frolic. I am sure a couple of you remember my excited chanter about this race. Not only was the loot amazing (there was coffee, chocolate fountains, hot chocolates, chips, music, bananas, and cookies) the atmosphere was awesome as well!. Does all this seem random? Sure does. Was it a blast despite the cold! You know it!! This race is definitely in my top 3 races I have done. If the weather was cooperating and not snowing, it would have been that much better. As far as the timing goes, I guess I am a little disappointed in myself. Being the first race of the season and not being able to train very much due to weather and being too cheap to buy a gym membership, I guess I should be happy. I do feel like I slowed my friend down a bit, but she was awesome and we just had fun! This is def a must do race every year!!

This weekend also helped me cross off another thing on my 30/30 list (well almost). My friend is big into Yoga and is looking at getting her Yoga instructor licensure (how awesome is that!). Well, Friday before the race she attempted to teach me some Yoga moves and gave me a routine to work on. I learned two things: 1. Yoga is a lot harder than I ever thought and 2. I am not very good at it. I have been trying it out at home, but don’t know if I am doing the moves quite right. It sure was fun and I hope we will be able to get together more often and she can teach me more and more. I also learned that if you aren’t sure if you’re doing a move correctly, if it hurts, you probably are. J

After heading back home and one very hot shower to ward off the cold, Cory and I settled into a cozy night of movies, snacks, and cuddling (he is going to hate I put that J Poor guy!) Sunday wasn’t much different. I woke up to coffee in my owl mug and a fire in the fireplace. Being that we had a laid back night we both felt like doing something. It was decided that we would drive to our friends house and bust out the Catan board and have a couple of ‘cow beers’ (New Glarus Spotted Cow to be exact). Well, Sunday funday turned into SUNDAY FUNDAY as we rid their fridge of beer and transitioned from Catan to drinking games. It was an unexpected fun night out with great friends. Oh the joys of life!

Monday morning came way too soon as I packed my bags for a week away and headed to Lincoln Nebraska for a work conference. My boss and I made good time on the way there and we even saw hints of spring along the way. This included green grass and warm weather! We actually needed to turn the A/C on in the car. Blasphemy, I know! Don’t be too jealous friends, because it didn’t last long. Sun turned into rain which turned into hail which turned into snow. That aside, the training conference was actually quite fun. Never having been to one before, I didn’t know what to expect. There was a lot of information and new things to learn mixed in with just enough fun activities that the week went by in a blur. I ate the best I ever have, went to the top happy hours I have ever been to, made connections with other bookstore people, learned enough to make my brain hurt, and stayed in the one of the nicest hotels I have been to in a long time. In short, it was a great week! With the talk of the Spring winter snowstorm headed our way, we decided to make the trip back. One would think we drove cross country because we hit all the major precipitation on the way home and the last leg was a white knuckle drive, but we made it home late Thursday.

Friday was a catch up day and not much happened and then on Saturday, I packed my bags again to head into Minneapolis for a bachelorette party. (I think someone was protesting how much I have been gone and no, it wasn’t Cory)

Girls nights, games, drinks, and food ensued at the bachelorette’s house as people got to know each other and old friends were reunited. It was a great night filled with delightful fragranced women, laughter, drunken twins fans, dueling pianos, 3D light/dance party, cold walks and warm hugs. It is times like these that I love to look around and think how lucky I am to have such great friends with hearts of gold (Yay friends!) Sunday was filled with a delightful brunch, some much needed coffee, a snowy drive home and a nap that some would consider a full nights rest.

Yes, friends, I am one lucky gal. It was a busy couple of weeks but I wouldn’t change a thing!

As a sidenote, don't get the thought into your head that I lead an exciting life. These past two weeks have been a fluke in my boring system but it never hurts to switch it up alittle. If I am still not fooling you, feel free to join me as I hit up my towns hottest ladies night (this picture is for you Sara!)